Living Together
by ewon
Summary: Rukawa and Sakuragi are now studying in a university and living together in a small flat. Everyday life does its best to piss them off.
1. Chapter One

_Notes: First of all, a big thank you to all who reviewved the last chapter of Dating Problems! I also thought I've improved a bit and it made me happy to hear some of you liked what my brain produced. I've had some problems with my computer for quite some time but it's all in the past now and I managed to scribble the first chapter of this new fic. I hope you will like it. It continues the story from Watching Him and Dating Problems. I thought I would try something new but...the ideas just kept popping into my head so then I thought, what the hell, and went with the flow. Hehe..._

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Living Together

Chapter One

Rukawa glared daggers at the tall form lying comfortably on a pile of pillows. A lazy smile was given in return. Rukawa scowled.

"You are seriously starting to piss me off," he spat.

Another smile and a request for Rukawa to turn up the volume.

Rukawa ignored the request and cursed his boyfriend silently for ever befriending this annoying parasite. Rukawa's life would've been near perfect if not for Sendoh's continuous presence. Lately, he hadn't had much free time to begin with since it was consumed by basketball practice, and when he actually did manage to spend the evening home the first thing he saw was Sendoh sprawling on the floor, smiling like a cat over a milk plate. How sad is that?

Rukawa dropped his duffle bag and flung his jacket onto a coffee table which was surprisingly empty of the usual dirty dishes and magazines. _Hana must've tidied up. Hopefully not because of Sendoh._ He heard a toilet being flushed and then briefly the sound of running water. Sakuragi's idea of washing hands consisted of turning on the faucet, keeping hands under the running water for half a second and then turning the faucet off. That was yet another one of Sakuragi's fascinating habits Rukawa had come to know during the time he had known the redhead.

The bathroom door opened and Sakuragi stepped out. "So it was you," Sakuragi said when he saw Rukawa standing on the living room threshold, "I thought I heard someone coming in. How was practice?"

Sakuragi had been ill for more than a week now and thus unable to attend neither lectures nor practice. He wasn't the best patient one could wish for, for he grew tired and frustrated of being indoors and of the weakness in his body and often took it out on Rukawa.

"Fine," Rukawa answered. He studied Sakuragi carefully. "Has the fever gone down?" he asked although he could see from Sakuragi's scarlet cheeks and too bright eyes that it had not.

"No," Sakuragi answered irritably. He grimaced heartily as he pressed his palm against his burning forehead. "I told you god hates me but you didn't believe me. This is proof of that. How long have I been sick? Ten days? Does a fever usually last that long? No, it doesn't. This is god's way of revenging his loss to this tensai."

"His loss?" Rukawa repeated. After years of studying Sakuragi's behavior and the workings of his mind, Rukawa had come to the conclusion that although the redhead had some basic patterns in his thought process, it was impossible and a complete waste of time and effort to try and guess just what the hell went on in that terribly cute head of his.

"I mean, look at me," Sakuragi said, gesturing to his body. "I can understand why even a god would be jealous."

"Do'aho," Rukawa groaned.

"I totally agree with you, Hanamichi!" Sendoh exclaimed from the floor. He was rewarded by an appreciative look from Sakuragi and spiteful glare from Rukawa.

"Of course," Sakuragi grinned. Then he frowned again. "But this is too much. Giving me such an annoying fever for such a long time!"

"I told you it could be something serious.You should go see a doctor," Rukawa said, as he had said numerous times over the past week, and made his way over to the kitchen.

"Hell no," Sakuragi bluntly rejected the idea. "A talented guy like myself doesn't need a doctor."

"It's got nothing to do with talent," Rukawa mumbled, but knew better than to argue.

Sakuragi dropped down on the bed and crawled under the covers with a stifled moan. His body was aching all over but he managed to prop himself on some pillows so he could see the television. "Hey, Sendoh! Put it back on."

"Okay."

Rukawa heard loud gun shots and assumed Sakuragi and Sendoh were watching a movie. Sakuragi liked action movies above all else and watched them over and over again. During his illness, the redhead had kept watching them for so long that Rukawa had several times gotten fed up with the constant explosions and stupid heroes and optioned to go for a jog rather than to stay inside with him. It appeared Sendoh didn't have similar problems.

"Haha! Did you see that guy's face?" Sendoh laughed. Sakuragi joined him with his obnoxious laughter.

Rukawa made tea and poured it into a mug which had the characters for 'tensai' on its side. Sakuragi had painted the kanjis himself last summer when they had gone to some kind of a science centre. Rukawa still remembered the glee and enthusiasm with which Sakuragi had copied the kanjis Rukawa had drawn for him on a piece of paper. Sakuragi had been incredibly cute, biting his lip in concentration and then laughing out his joy when he had gotten the finished mug into his hands. Rukawa also remembered how Sakuragi had went from one child to another, (the ones painting mugs had been mostly children), telling them not to feel bad even though the tensai's talents were way beyond theirs.

Rukawa added sugar to the tea and then went to Sakuragi and held it out for him. "Here."

"Oh, thanks." Sakuragi accepted the mug and took a careful sip. He gave Rukawa a small smile.

"Hn. I'm going to take a shower." Rukawa turned on his heels to leave the room.

"Why didn't you take a shower at the gym, you stupid kitsune?" Sakuragi asked.

_'Cause I wanted to get back to you as soon as possible._ "I like it better here," Rukawa answered. He took some clean clothes from a closet and stepped into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He placed the new clothes on the sink and then took off the ones he was wearing and dropped them on the toilet seat. Their bathroom was really small and very old and sometimes it got on Rukawa's nerves but today he didn't even notice it. He stepped into the bathtub, drew the shower curtain and turned on the shower, sighing in pleasure as the warm water soothed his aching muscels.

Things had gone pretty well for him and Sakuragi after they had settled into this apartment. They both concentrated on basketball, training vigorously to become stronger and to achieve their dream. Evenings passed in the company of their friends. Yohei had actually gotten into a university which had shocked many but not Rukawa who had an inkling that Yohei could succeed very well in school if he only gave it an effort. Yohei's parents had also been surprised that Yohei had wanted to continue his studies and began to hope that their son would get a good job and a secured future. Perhaps their wish would come true some day but the reason for Yohei's sudden effort was a woman.

Rukawa realised the water was getting colder and began to soap himself. He had been pleased to see Yohei and Haruko dating because it had made Sakuragi so tremendously happy. They met the couple almost every day in an ice cream parlour where Noma worked during the evening and chatted away. Well, the others chatted and Rukawa listened. Ookusu and Takamiya often joined them. It had occured to Rukawa after a few evenings, that these people he spent time with actually considered him a friend, that he was part of the group and no longer just 'Hanamichi's boyfriend'. It was kind of nice but not as nice as the evenings he spent alone with Sakuragi.

Rukawa washed the shampoo from his hair and turned the shower off. He reached for a towel, flinching as cool air touched his skin, and began toweling himself dry. He loved nights the best. They spent nights either just sleeping or 'bonding' like Sakuragi said. It felt wonderful being near Sakuragi. But now Sakuragi was ill. This was the first time Rukawa had ever seen Sakuragi sick and it surprised him how strongly he reacted to it. He had never felt so anxious when he himself had been ill nor when his parents had been, and it was kind of freaking him out that Sakuragi's burning forehead had caused such a strong wave of worry and uneasiness. Well, if it was up to him, he would never show it, that was for sure.

Rukawa got dressed and spread his towel to dry before grabbing his dirty clothes and stuffing them into a plastic bag where they kept their laundry. Then he stepped out of the room, running his hand through his hair. Sakuragi and Sendoh were still watching the movie. He sighed.

"Kaede?" Sakuragi tilted his head back to look at Rukawa.

"Mm?"

"Could you bring me more tea? My throat hurts." Sakuragi held out his empty mug.

Rukawa reached for the mug and took it but told Sakuragi he would bring ice cream instead. "If your throat hurts it's better to eat something cold."

"Really? Are you sure? It doesn't make any sense."

Rukawa merely shrugged and went to get the ice cream. He also brought Sakuragi some juice, placing the glass on the coffee table. He had dragged the table next to the bed so that Sakuragi could put his things there and wouldn't have to stand up all the time.

Rukawa sat down on the foot of the bed and put his laptop in front of him. His mother had asked him why they had a DVD player, a television, a laptop, a CD player, a digital camera, PS2 and a video camera and still not own a single chair or a carpet. She refused to acknowledge Rukawa's wisdom of getting all the important stuff first. Weird. Who needs a chair anyway? And Rukawa kind of liked the pattern on the floor so carpets were also useless.

The movie ended. Sendoh stretched on the floor, yawning. "That was a great movie," he said.

"Yeah," Sakuragi agreed, his voice a little broken.

Sendoh sat up and studied Sakuragi's appearance carefully.

"What?" Sakuragi asked, bothered by the long look.

Sendoh smiled. "Nothing," he answered and laughed when Sakuragi continued to stare suspiciously at him. "Well, I better get going. I have a date."

"A date?" Sakuragi repeated, surprised.

Sendoh chuckled, stood up and then sat next to Sakuragi, leaning close to the redhead. "Don't worry, Hana-chan. You're still number one for me," he managed to say before he was kicked off the bed. He looked up to meet the glare Rukawa was directing at him. He laughed. "Alright, lover boy. No danger now."

"Danger?" Sakuragi repeated, puzzled. His mind was clouded with fever and he didn't really understand what went on around him.

"Never mind, don't worry about it, Hanamichi," Sendoh said. He took the movie out of the DVD player and got ready to leave. "See you again tomorrow."

"Yeah. Bring the sequel!" Sakuragi reminded.

Sendoh chuckled. "I will. See you!"

The front door opened and closed and silence fell.

Rukawa hmphed. He replaced his laptop on the television and then turned to face Sakuragi. The redhead had slumped into his pillows and closed his eyes. Rukawa reached out to place his fingers on Sakuragi's forehead and was startled by the hotness of it.

"Hana?" he called softly. "Hana, how are you feeling?" He dreaded the sudden change in Sakuragi's behavior.

"I'm fine," came Sakuragi's answer weakly.

Rukawa frowned. "Your forehead is really hot. Have you taken your temperature?"

"No."

Rukawa took a thermometer from the table and handed it to Sakuragi. "Then take it now."

Sakuragi shook his head. "I don't want to," he said and turned away from Rukawa, refusing to take the offered item.

"Don't make me do it the hard way."

Sakuragi pouted and continued to defy Rukawa for a few minutes but then he gave in, weakened by the fever. He let Rukawa place the thermometer and lay limply on the bed while Rukawa hovered above him. He barely noticed when Rukawa took it away.

Rukawa peered at the thermometer and gasped. It showed 40.2 which was very bad. He put it away and leaned over Sakuragi. "Do'aho, why didn't you say anything? We should really take you to a hospital."

"No! I'm perfectly fine," Sakuragi insisted stubbornly.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am! There's no need to go to a hospital. Just turn off the lights, my eyes hurt."

Rukawa obliged quickly and then he remained standing, looking down at Sakuragi. He didn't know what to do. Should he take Sakuragi to a hospital no matter what the redhead said or should he just let it be? Perhaps it really was just a normal cold. But what if it was something serious? But then again... Rukawa sighed and decided to let it be for now. If Sakuragi's condition got worse, then he would take him to a hospital.

Rukawa spent rest of the evening either in the kitchen, reading a magazine and sipping tea or in the living room, looking over Sakuragi. When night came, he undressed and lay down on the bed. He wrapped his arms around Sakuragi and soon felt Sakuragi's head press on his shoulder. Sakuragi shivered continuously despite the heat Rukawa could feel emitting from his body. Rukawa tightened his hold. He lay awake, listening to Sakuragi's laboured breathing and staring at the ceiling in the dark. He could feel Sakuragi's heart beat against his side and began to count them.

He dozed off at some point but suddenly jerked awake when Sakuragi started coughing dryly. He raised his upper body to see Sakuragi's face and then suddenly jumped when he felt something wet on his chest. He grazed the wetness with his fingers and brough them up to examine them. It was something dark.

"Hey, Hana"

"It hurts to breathe," Sakuragi wheezed, grimacing.

"What?"

"It hurts to..." Sakuragi's features froze and then he rose to his knees. "I feel sick," he gasped and started to sluggishly stumble out of the bed. He barely managed to reach the edge before his ability to hold it in failed and he threw up on the floor.

"H-hey!" Rukawa hurried to support Sakuragi. He was really alarmed now. After Sakuragi calmed down he helped him lay back on the bed and then fumbled for his phone. "That's it. I'm taking you to a hospital." He glanced at Sakuragi. "With force if I have to."

But Sakuragi was too weak to protest and remained unmoving.

A sudden stab of pain pierced Rukawa's chest. He hurried to call a cab and then stood up, careful not to step on vomit, to get his long winter coat and Sakuragi's shoes. He helped Sakuragi to put the coat on and then put on the shoes.

"Kaede," Sakuragi called.

"Hm?" Rukawa turned his head a little to Sakuragi's direction but kept his eyes on his hands. He was tying Sakuragi's shoe laces.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For causing trouble."

"Do'aho. You always cause trouble. I'm used to it by now," Rukawa said with a slight smile.

"But..."

Rukawa finished tying the laces and turned completely to Sakuragi, patting his red hair. "What are you babbling about? This is not like you at all."

"I'm serious," Sakuragi said. He looked up at Rukawa, his cheeks colouring with shame. "I even threw up on the floor..."

Rukawa leaned in and placed a kiss on Sakuragi's forehead. "Don't worry about it." He stood up again to put on his trousers, socks and shoes and grabbed his coat before helping Sakuragi up as well. "Let's go. The cab should be here by now."

They stumbled down the stairs and into a cab that was ready and waiting for them. Rukawa told the driver to go to the nearest hospital. Once there, Rukawa paid for their ride and helped Sakuragi out and into the hospital building. They had just stepped in through sliding doors when Sakuragi suddenly moaned and fell limp in Rukawa's arms.

"Hana? Hana?" Rukawa had to kneel down to stop them from falling uncontrollably. Sakuragi was quite heavy. "Hana!"

Nurses came and took Sakuragi away. They asked Rukawa about Sakuragi's condition and gave him a form to fill.

"Are you his friend?" asked a friendly nurse who had brought the form.

"No. He's my boyfriend," Rukawa answered absent-mindedly. He was filling the form and it took quite an effort. He couldn't understand why these forms were made so unorganized and difficult.

"O-oh..." The nurse blushed and remained silent until Rukawa was finished with the form and then gave him a few reassuring words before going back to work.

Rukawa sat in a chair and flipped through magazines during the time Sakuragi was examined. When a doctor approached him, he threw away his magazine and stood up.

"Rukawa Kaede?" the doctor asked.

Rukawa nodded.

"Sakuragi-san has a rather bad case of pneumonia. We'll keep him here at least for the night. But don't worry, he'll be fine in no time. You should've brought him here a long time ago, though. Next time don't wait for the disease to worsen."

Rukawa nodded and thanked the doctor. He was relieved to hear it wasn't anything more serious and was already feeling rather embarrassed of his earlier reaction. Luckily no one but Sakuragi had seen him. He went to see Sakuragi but the redhead was sleeping so he only stayed for a little while before heading back home. He would have to clean up quickly before the smell of vomit would become permanent.

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	2. Chapter Two

_Notes: Thank you for the reviews and sorry for the wait! I'm happy you're still with me. Well, there's a cliffhanger in this chapter, I think. I'm sure you all know who the people who will appear are even though I don't mention their names. And if you don't, that's fine too. You will know soon enough. Hope you all will enjoy this! Your enjoyment is what I write for. For mine too, but still.  
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Chapter Two

"You guys," Yohei said gravely as he stepped out of bathroom, "should clean that place _before_ it starts growing mold."

Sakuragi looked up from his plate to give his best friend a confused look. "Huh?"

Yohei gestured behind him. "Your bathroom. It stinks."

"Does it?" Sakuragi scratched his chin, contemplating. Then he shrugged and dug back into his food. "I haven't noticed," he said indifferently.

Yohei sank onto the floor, next to Sakuragi, and suppressed a shudder. Using a toilet unwashed for at least two months ranked high on his list of regrettable experiences. This was exactly the reason why he sometimes disliked coming to Sakuragi and Rukawa's place. Neither was very keen on keeping the place clean. "Have you checked the route now?" he asked, suddenly remembering that Haruko had asked him to make sure Sakuragi had the map they needed.

The four of them had decided to celebrate Sakuragi's 'victory over gods', aka the restoration of his health, by going to an onsen. They had let Sakuragi choose the place, seeing as he was the one who had been sick, and after rejecting a few impossibly expensive suggestions they had all agreed on one. The place seemed kind of shady which made Yohei and Haruko a bit uneasy and hesitant. But Sakuragi was thrilled and Rukawa said nothing due to the pleasure of seeing Sakuragi behaving like himself again, so they had stuck to the plan and set the date for today. They were now waiting for Haruko to come back from work so they could leave.

Sakuragi dug out a map and threw it to Yohei. "I marked the place on that," he managed to say through his food.

Yohei nodded and spread the map in front of him, checking which roads they should take. He was the only one with a licence and also the only one with a car so he would be doing the driving by himself. He figured it would be best to memorize the map since his helpers consisted of Rukawa who would fall asleep the moment he sat in the car, Haruko who understood next to nothing of maps and Sakuragi who thought taking little side tracks was the thing to liven up a boring, long drive.

Doorbell rang and they both looked up.

"It's Haruko-chan," Yohei stated the obvious. "Go and open the door for her."

Sakuragi put aside his plate and stood up, muttering how Yohei shouldn't order the tensai around in his own house, but obeying nonetheless. Yohei was a little surprised by the lack of resistance, he had thought Sakuragi would at least growl and threaten him before going. Perhaps Rukawa had managed to tame him a bit. The thought made Yohei grin.

Sakuragi trudged to the door and opened it, flashing a brilliant smile at the girl standing in the hallway. "Haruko-san! Aren't you a bit early?"

Haruko returned the smile and stepped in through the door Sakuragi kept open for her. She bent down to take her shoes off, at the same time explaining how she had managed to finish her work early and how she had convinced her boss to let her leave. "I'm so excited," she continued, looking up at Sakuragi with shining eyes. "I've been waiting for this trip like no other."

Sakuragi grinned and gave her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. "Don't you worry 'bout a thing, Haruko-san! This tensai will make this trip well worth the wait."

Haruko giggled and Sakuragi laughed and they had so much fun that they completely missed the intense look directed at them.

Rukawa had woken up by the noisy greetings Sakuragi and Haruko exchanged and cracked an eye open. His gaze fell immediately on the happy pair and he narrowed his eye into an icy slit. But when they started to turn in order to come to the living room, he quickly closed it and pretended he was still sleeping. It didn't take long for a strong hand to grip his shoulder and Sakuragi's voice to yell he should wake up.

"Get your ass up, Kaede! Haruko-san's here and we're leaving soon."

Rukawa suppressed a shiver. Sakuragi was so close to him that he could feel his breath on his cheek and the sound of his voice tickled, coming so close to his ear. He threw a punch at Sakuragi and revelled in hearing a surprised and pained yelp. That was for being so cosy with Haruko. He sat up and stretched his limbs, looking groggily at Sakuragi who was nursing his cheek.

"God damn it! Kitsune! Are you trying to start a fight?"

Rukawa yawned and swung his legs to the floor, stretching yet again and completely ignoring Sakuragi's question. "So we're leaving now?"

"That's right," Yohei answered, folding the map and tucking it in his back pocket. He stood up to greet Haruko.

"You've already packed the car?" Haruko asked, surprised. Although she knew Yohei was a very capable man when he wanted to, she hadn't expected him to exert himself when Sakuragi was there. Sakuragi's company tended to make him lazy.

"Well, me and Yohei did," Sakuragi answered in Yohei's stead, throwing a nasty glare at Rukawa. "While somebody just lay on the bed, snoring away like there was no tomorrow."

"Che," Rukawa snorted. "I do not snore," he then said.

"That's not the point here!" Sakuragi wailed and was about to launch an attack on Rukawa when Haruko stepped between them, seemingly by accident.

"Ah, Sakuragi-kun! You shouldn't leave dirty dishes lying around now! We'll be gone for many days," she exclaimed and picked up the empty plate Sakuragi had left on the floor. She then proceeded to the kitchen where a huge pile of dirty dishes lay scattered around the counter and the sink. It was not an uncommon sight in Rukawa and Sakuragi's flat and she felt the familiar urge to roll up her sleeves and start washing the dishes but before she could start, Yohei came from behind, took the plate and placed it on top of a mug.

"Don't start now. We have to go if we want to get there before dark," he said, guiding her towards the front door.

"Yes...Ah, but I should at least put it somewhere more safe. If you leave it like that, it might fall and break..." Haruko turned her head to see where she could replace it but was firmly dragged out of the kitchen before she could put her plan into action. "Yohei-kun?"

"Leave it," he said and she obeyed without another word.

Rukawa and Sakuragi had settled their disagreement and now stood side by side on the living room threshold. Sakuragi was watching Yohei and Haruko while Rukawa leaned against him, dozing off.

"We're not in that much of a hurry," Sakuragi mumbled sullenly, "You should've let Haruko-san wash them." It wouldn't have been the first time, nor the tenth for that matter.

"Yes, I can..." Haruko started, but was cut off by Yohei reminding Sakuragi that she was not their servant and that they should take care of such stuff by themselves.

"Easy for you to say," Sakuragi muttered.

Yohei grinned. It was indeed easy for him to say since he rarely had to do any of that stuff. Haruko liked doing the house work. Living with a girl like Haruko was completely different from two lazy guys sharing a flat. He looked around. "Yeah, you're right. But seriously, you guys...You really suck at keeping house. Ever thought of using a vacuum cleaner? You can soon start making sand-castles out of all of this dust."

"Ah, shut up," Sakuragi groaned. "You sound like my mother. Besides, we don't have a vacuum cleaner."

Yohei laughed at that and then they all put on their shoes and grabbed their jackets and prepared to leave.

"Hey, Hanamichi," Rukawa said as their descended the stairs, "Did you go to toilet before we left?" he asked.

"Stupid kitsune, don't talk to me like I'm a kid," Sakuragi answered irately.

"Hmph."

"It's not like I have to take a piss every other minute."

Rukawa raised a brow. Yohei and Haruko pretended they didn't hear anything.

"Yes, you do," Rukawa stated.

"No, I don't! God damn it, kitsune! I think I know how my bladder works better than you do."

"Obviously you don't."

"How could there be anything wrong with this tensai's bladder? I'm perfect, you can't find a single flaw in me."

"Do'aho, I could write a book on your flaws."

"What!"

"Make that a trilogy."

No words were needed to convey Sakuragi's feelings after that comment. Sakuragi had always been good at non-verbal communication. He was especially gifted in expressing his anger.

Yohei and Haruko went ahead when the two young men started to swing their fists. Haruko glanced back at them worriedly but left anyway, because she knew she couldn't do anything even if she stayed.

"I hope they're okay," she muttered.

"They're fine," Yohei said, waving his hand dismissively. "It takes more than a few punches to hurt them."

"Yeah. But..."

"Besides," Yohei continued, throwing a glance at the two figures, "They hold back nowadays. They don't hit each other with all they've got."

Haruko smiled. She had also noticed that Rukawa and Sakuragi had been more gentle with each other lately. Perhaps it was because of Sakuragi's illness and would fade soon. But it was nice to look at.

"Ah, but those converstations they have," Yohei continued as they reached his car.

Haruko giggled.

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It took several minutes for Sakuragi and Rukawa to settle their differences. By the time they reached the car, Yohei had already sat in the driver's seat and Haruko had taken a seat in the back. Sakuragi was about to open a door to sit next to Haruko when Rukawa grabbed his arm and held him in place. 

"Gah! What is your problem now?" Sakuragi asked sourly, still a bit annoyed by their previous argument.

"You can't sit there," Rukawa said.

"And why the hell not?"

Rukawa didn't bother answering, he merely stared at Sakuragi and tightened his hold.

"Look, I want to have some company on this drive," Sakuragi explained, trying to hold back his temper. "Yohei will concentrate on driving and you're no company since you won't do anything but sleep, so Haruko-san is the only one who won't bore me to death. Your sleeping face isn't _that_ interesting."

Rukawa raised a brow; so Sakuragi thought his sleeping face was interesting?

Immediately picking up the meaning of that raised eyebrow, Sakuragi blushed, but recovered quickly and repeated he had no intention of sitting anywhere but next to Haruko. Haruko had the food, too.

Rukawa frowned.

Before the second argument could arise, Yohei interrupted them. "Hanamichi, I need you to read the map for me."

"Huh?" Sakuragi turned to look at him, already a bit tempted but still holding onto his resolution. "Why can't Kaede do that?"

"You just said it yourself. He's going to fall asleep the minute his ass hits the seat," Yohei explained, grinning. "And Haruko-chan doesn't understand the first thing about maps."

Haruko pouted but couldn't retort since she knew it was true.

"Ahah! Okay, I understand. You need the tensai's skills. Can't be helped then. Kaede!" Sakuragi said, freeing his arm from Rukawa's grip. "You go sit in the back, you useless sleepy kitsune. Leave everything to me."

Rukawa frowned again but assented. He had gotten what he wanted anyway.

* * *

Rukawa was roused from his sleep by Sakuragi's voice demanding Yohei to stop the car. He sat up straighter in his seat and looked groggily out of the window. They had left city behind and instead of buildings made of concrete and glass, trees flashed by them. Rukawa's quiet character appreciated the beauty and silence nature offered as well as the privacy it provided. However, he had been born and raised in a city and most likely he would tread the rest of his life on the crowded streets of some big city. But perhaps, after he retired, he could buy a house from some desolated place in Hokkaido, and keep Sakuragi under him all day long. Outdoors and indoors. No neighbours bothering them. He had strong faith in his virility. 

"Yohei! I told you to pull over. I can't hold it in for much longer!" Sakuragi said.

Rukawa sighed. Perhaps it would be best to dump Sakuragi and take a girlfriend who would be quieter and more intelligent.

"I can't stop here," Yohei tried to explain.

"Fine. But pull over as soon as you can. I'm about to pee in my pants here."

Rukawa felt an almost irresistable urge to say 'I told you so' but managed to fight it down. He rested his head against the window and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Rukawa woke up again when something was thrown at his face. On closer inspection, it proved to be Sakuragi's shirt. 

"Ah, shit!" Sakuragi said, fanning himself with a map. "It's so damn hot in here. Yohei, never thought of investing in air conditioning?"

Yohei just shrugged. With his income, the car he had now was already at the limit he could afford to keep.

Rukawa tossed the shirt aside and sat up straight again. His neck ached and as he moved, he felt stiffness in his muscels. He yawned widely. "How long until we're there?" he asked.

"What, Kaede? You're awake?" Sakuragi said and turned in his seat to look at Rukawa, flashing a brilliant smile.

Instinctively Rukawa returned the smile with a subtler version of it. Immediately after, he chided himself for his lack of self-control.

Sakuragi crossed him arms on the back of his seat and then rested his chin on them, looking at Rukawa with his smile still intact.

Rukawa forgot to breathe. An incredible feeling rose from the pit of his stomach as a response to the warm light flickering in Sakuragi's brown eyes, and made him want to squirm. He let his eyes travel to the upwards curved lips and then back up to meet Sakuragi's soft gaze.

Sakuragi blushed suddenly. He cast his eyes down but then glanced furtively at Rukawa and gave a weak grin.

Rukawa reached out to grasp Sakuragi by the neck. He felt Sakuragi's rough tresses slide between his fingers and then the sweaty, hot skin of Sakuragi's nape. He leaned forward, his skin tingling with anticipation, and then pressed his lips against Sakuragi's. They were chapped and dry but delicious, and when Sakuragi opened his mouth, Rukawa could taste the orange juice with which Sakuragi had quenched his thirst. Rukawa brought his other hand to caress Sakuragi's cheek and smiled when the redhead moaned into the kiss.

Suddenly they were shaken apart by Yohei hitting the brakes and turning to the left. Rukawa hit his head to Sakuragi's seat and Sakuragi, who had been kneeling in his seat, fell first backwards and then into Yohei's lap. The car stopped.

"What the hell!" Sakuragi bellowed, looking accusingly up at Yohei. He turned on his back, crossed his arms over his chest and continued glaring, his head still resting on Yohei's thighs.

Rukawa shot a nasty glare at the dark-haired man.

Yohei grabbed Sakuragi's head and forced the redhead to sit. Then he started to step out of the car. "We're going to take a swim to cool your heads," he said, looking slightly nauseated.

"Swim?" Sakuragi repeated. He looked around and noticed they had stopped at a small lake. A huge grin spread across his face. "Great! I was about to die from dehydration or possibly from a god damn heat-stroke." He stepped out and without a second thought took off his denims and ran towards the lake in nothing but his briefs.

Yohei grinned and soon followed suit, not hearing Haruko's weak cries warning him of possible passers-by.

Rukawa took off his shirt and emptied his pockets. He was wearing shorts and was going to swim in them. He had no intention of running around in his underwear. It was enough that Sakuragi embarrassed himself, no need for him to do the same.

* * *

Half an hour later, the men returned to the car, dripping wet and shivering in the light evening breeze. Sun sent orange and red rays over tree tops, glimmering on the water and setting Sakuragi's hair on fire. The road was empty and only the sounds of insects and birds broke the silence hanging over them. Haruko smiled at the men. She had dipped in the cool water but decided to leave when the men started a water fight. She had taken out towels for them and fixed a little snack. 

"Aah, thanks, Haruko-san," Sakuragi sighed as she handed him a towel. He rubbed himself dry and then grabbed a sandwich, sinking his teeth in it with a satisfied sigh. "This is life," he said, closing his eyes and smiling widely.

"Heh. Yeah," Yohei agreed whole-heartedly.

Rukawa said nothing but the look in his eyes as he gazed at Sakuragi made Yohei fear for another intimate moment taking place in front of his eyes. To prevent this, Yohei said they should quickly get dressed and take a bite and then continue driving. It would take another two hours before they ould reach their destination. Everyone agreed to this. And so, ten minutes later, they sat in the car, on their way to the onsen Sakuragi had chosen. And a little over two hours later, Yohei parked the car in front of a shabby looking building.

Sakuragi looked at it with sparkling eyes. "It's just like in the picture," he announced excitedly.

Rukawa glanced around. It seemed the place was pretty quiet. This suited him fine. He didn't like crowded places.

"Well, at least it's cheap," Haruko said hesitantly.

"Let's go," Yohei said, opening the door, "I already reserved rooms for us so everything should be in order."

When they fumbled for their bags from the trunk, a conversation reached their ears.

"Did you forget anything?" asked a girl's voice.

"No, I have everything here," answered a man's voice reassuringly. There was something familiar in the eager tone of it.

"He went through the list at least ten times after you asked him to check it," said another man's voice mockingly.

A short silence followed and then angry murmurs broke it. A soft man's voice tried to calm everyone down.

Sakuragi looked at Rukawa, they both glanced at Yohei and Haruko. Then, as if they were of one body, they turned around. Further down the parking lot a group of people stood beside a red Toyota.

Sakuragi walked towards them. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?" he asked, flabbergasted.


End file.
